I don't know if it's the quality of television or just my own personal taste but I've lately found it hard to just sit down with a television show and give it my complete, undivided attention. I do, however usually keep a show running in the background when I'm cleaning, socializing or (especially) gaming. Here's my list of my favorites as of late:

Game of Thrones: I suppose if I had never read the Song of Ice and Fire books by George R R Martin I might be a bit more engaged by this show. I love the cast and the few changes and embellishments the writers have made in the adaption process have only been for the better in my opinion. The show's even fun to look at as David Benioff and crew know how to use locations to their full advantage.

Favorite Character in the Books. Favorite Character in the Show.

Sadly, when it comes to the story I know where it's going to end up and no matter how well-staged or well acted a scene may be I just don't have the sense of urgency I had when reading the books. Therefore I have my First Season of Game of Thrones plays in the background while I gun through Skyrim or Witcher 2 where I can once and a while look up and hope to see Tyrion smack the shit out of Joffrey.

Boardwalk Empire: Another HBO show? Sadly this network seems to have a blueprint when it comes to making a television series, and while most of them have been high quality shows like Rome, Game of Thrones and yes, Boardwalk Empire feel surprisingly by-the-numbers. It's a shame too, because Boardwalk Empire has an outstanding cast and, like Game of Thrones knows how to make a world you want to get lost in.

Also, i kinda miss this guy

Boardwalk Empire isn't boring or anything, and the liberal use of violence and nudity (some within context, some just gratuitous) certainly catches the eye when I'm cleaning my living room. Sadly I just don't find the stories that engaging. But hey, there's worse show's on TV and that opening is still pretty amazing!

Archer: The First Season of Archer really got it's hooks into me with it's sarcasm and unpredictable glibbing....so much so that I download each episode that's available on the PSN network. Sadly, much like Venture Bros. I think Archer has gone down hill by milking old gags and just finding more disgusting things to show in each episode.

There are a few golden episodes here and there (this season's 'Wind Cries Mary' with Timothy Olyphant was one of the funniest episodes taking bro-mance and "your mom!" jokes to the next level) which is why I still download it to watch while I'm gaming. If Archer ever gets to be as funny as when it started I might start sitting down with it but for now it's relegated to background noise.

Wow, it's only February and I've already played some great video games. Well, I think their great anyways. Here's a couple titles I recommend trying out and one I'm still playing through (and sadly one I lost interest in).

Fire Emblem: Awakening- The Escapist said Fire Emblem: Awakening was worth buying a 3DS for....so I decided to take them for their word, and with Gamestop offering a special 3DS with Awakening pre-installed it all seemed like fate. It was totally worth it as I've spent many an hour curled up on the couch, getting lost in this multi-hour tactical RPG at the palm of my hand. Designing my own JRPG avatar (a first for me), picking the load-out for each of my soldiers, starting relationships with fellow warriors (developed as much ON the battlefield as off) and being treated to some of the most beautiful anime cutscenes I've ever seen (mixed with my love for tactical games) make Fire Emblem Awakening one of the best games I've played in a long time.

DmC: Dante's new attitude has probably divided gamers as much as his reworked appearance and original story. Personally, I love it! Not only is the combat in DmC just as wild and crazy as the franchise predecessors (yes, I kept spamming the Tornado Ability), Ninja Theory remembered to amp up the difficulty adding new monsters and enemy abilities with each mode of play. That for once I actually cared about the characters and story in a Devil May Cry game is just icing on the cake!

Still Playing:

Dead Space 3: I'll never understand how the Dead Space games get to be classified as "survival horror". I never felt vulnerable, scared or even startled as I tore through Necromorphs like Jason Voorhees with a plasma-gun. I never ran out of ammo either, which would've been okay because hero Isaac Clarke's Boot-stomp is an unstoppable weapon in and of itself! The Dead Space games are a lot of fun however, especially if you're into third-person shooters with amazing graphics! Dead Space 3 is so far just as solid as the first two, and while I'd honestly rather be playing a "true" survival-horror game (has it been that long since Fatal Frame 2?) I can enjoy a good spectacle....at least for now.

Traded In:

Ni No Kuni: I know a lot of people who really like Ni No Kuni. I certainly did for the first couple hours, getting involved in young Oliver's quest to save his mother and meeting hosts of charming, JRPG characters (Drippy's a delight!). Unfortunately good writing and Studi Ghibli's amazing graphics could only do so much as I spent hours clicking through numerous (unspoken) dialogue boxes, fighting through long-ass dungeons (with no save points inbetween) and sorting through what seemed to be an endless amount of tutorials. I'm sure gamers who stuck with it were well-rewarded but after playing more progressive-minded JRPG's like Xenoblade Ni No Kuni's old-fashioned game design was too much of an investment for me.